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History & Facts

Longton is a city in Elk County, Kansas along the Elk River.

Founded: 1870
Population: 362
Latitude: 37° 22' 40" N
Longitude: 96° 4' 50" W

Longton was originally named Elk Rapids but was renamed after a village in England to avoid confusion with nearby Elk Falls & Elk City. Herbert Capper, father of Arthur Capper, former govenor, senator and founder of Capper's Weekly, named the town. Herbert Capper owned the first hardware store in Longton.
The discovery of the Longton oil field in 1902 led to a brief period of boom times for the town.
There is more about Longton's history in the 1912 book, "Kansas, a cyclopedia of State History" by Frank W. Blackmar.